Especially when you’re the nation’s founding father, with a certain credibility to maintain.

But George Washington is definitely looking a little hipper these days, thanks to a summertime makeover.

No, he didn’t don a Hawaiian shirt or ditch the powdered wig, and he’s still wearing the cold sober but earnest expression we all know and love.

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Still, the Continental Army’s commander-in-chief is looking a bit more like a 21st century man than the guy on the dollar bill in your wallet.

Sporting aviator-style shades and earbuds, the updated icon is the product of the Valley Forge Convention and Visitors Bureau’s summer tourism campaign, designed by Wayne-based agency Boyd Tamney Cross.

“Most of the time the image you see of George Washington has been stoic,” said Bill Fitzgerald, president of the bureau. “It’s still George Washington in that traditional look we all think of and it’s still stoic … but a cool stoic, if you will.”

The new and contemorary George Washington is carrying a message throughout North and Central New Jersey and New York, where the promotion is in high gear at the moment: Weekends Rule!

“Ultimately our goal is to drive visitors into the Montgomery County region and appeal to not only adults but kids as well,” Fitzgerald said. “We thought a good way to do that would be to take our icon George Washington and our main attraction, the Valley Forge National Historical Park, and bring it into a modern hip look and project a little of how George Washington would look today, and hopefully get people talking about it.”

The “Weekends Rule” strategy was designed to increase out-of-town traffic not only on the county’s roads but the bureau’s website (www.valleyforge.org) as well.

“Hopefully when people go on our website they’ll see how many attractions and hotels we have throughout the county and the Valley Forge area and they’ll get a chance to try a couple of them,” Fitzgerald said. “People come for the shopping in King of Prussia, so maybe it will be depending on what the leisure customers are coming for. Some are coming for sporting events, or to relax, or for the arts and culture. There are a variety of reasons why people come, but it’s on our website where we want them to start.”

More than 30 Montgomery County hotels have come on board with the program, offering special Weekends Rule! rates for visitors.

“We give sunglasses to the kids after they check in, as a little bonus,” Fitzgerald said.

Boyd Tamney CEO Joseph Tamney admitted he recognized the delicate nature of toying with an historical icon’s image, and insisted that Washington’s makeover “contemporize” our founding father “without making fun of him.”

The campaign’s reach also extends into the Harrisburg, York and Lancaster areas.

“We’re targeting the 1.5 million folks who are coming out to 150th anniversary of the Battle of Gettysburg,” Fitzgerald said. “When they’re done experiencing the great history of Gettysburg, they can come down and see all the great things at Valley Forge and in Montgomery County. There are 10 new hotels built in the county this past year and they need occupancy. We have many great attractions, in Oaks and throughout the county, and a great new venue for dining in Ambler. Most of the attractions and hotels are on the western side of the county, but we love our eastern side as well and we want to make sure that all the hotels and things we have on that side of the county are feeling the love too. There’s a little to see all over the county, and that’s what we’re trying to accomplish with this.”

The multifaceted Weekends Rule! blitz includes radio ads, one of which reached the ears of Fitzgerald’s friend in New York during a ball game.

“He heard our ad while he was listening to the Yankees game, and that’s exactly what I wanted to hear,” Fitzgerald said,